LOWELL, Mass. — There's a reason the raucous Xaverian student section has chanted "Playoff Di-Mart!" throughout the MIAA Division 1 hockey tournament.
Because in the playoffs, Xaverian forward Joe DiMartino brings out his best.
In Sunday's semifinal against No. 14 Reading, DiMartino provided the game-winning goal in overtime, as Xaverian took down the Rockets, 1-0, to advance to the state final at TD Garden on March 19.
His goal gave fuel to the chant.
Just over halfway through overtime, DiMartino got off the Xaverian bench and picked up a loose puck in the neutral zone. He entered the offensive zone and sniped a goal over Reading goalie Chris Hanifan's blocker to send Xaverian back to the state final.
It was a close game, with both teams trading chances throughout, however Reading led in shots and controlled the play for large portions of the game.
MIAA TOURNAMENT BRACKETS/RESULTS:Â Division 1Â |Â Division 2Â |Â Division 3Â |Â Division 4
The closest either team came to scoring during regulation was when with roughly four minutes to play in the second period, both teams hit posts.
Xaverian advances to face Pope Francis in the title game on Sunday at TD Garden.
Here are the three stars from the game.
Joe DiMartino
Xaverian, 5/16/05, LW, right shot, 5-9/175Â
You knew he was going to be here, right? The goal was nice and important, but his play through the entire game was massive. He plays the game hard, impacting the game at both ends of the ice. In the offensive zone, he was constantly helping his team in the cycle game and creating chances. He almost scored in the second period when a shot of his was stopped by Hanifan and it trickled wide of the net. It's only fitting that DiMartino was the one to send Xaverian back to TD Garden.
Cole Pouliot-Porter
Xaverian, 7/24/06, G, catches left, 6-1/168
Another game, another outstanding performance from Pouliot-Porter. Reading had the majority of shots with 25 and Pouliot-Porter stopped them all. Reading tried shooting high on Pouliot-Porter all game, but he had no problem getting his glove or blocker on those shots. He was square to shots and swallowed up rebounds quickly. He's arguably the biggest reason Xaverian got to the semifinals and he's one of the main reasons his team moves onto face Pope Francis. After Di Martino's shot went in and Xaverian emptied off the bench to jump on him, Pouliot-Porter beelined for Hanifan to give him a tap on the pads and a hug. In an age when "dunking on" the opponent is most popular, it was great to see a great act of sportsmanship in such a big moment.
UPSET: Pope Francis takes down St. John's Prep for a spot in the final
Cam Fahey
Reading, junior, RW, right shotÂ
Fahey was impactful for Reading in the offensive zone. He did a good job of finding space, as well as creating space for himself. What was most impressive was his ability to create space in and around the slot. He was tasked with killing penalties for the Rockets and his aggressiveness when chasing Xaverian defenseman back for the puck stifled the opposition's power play.
Xaverian lines
Fitzpatrick - O’Neil - Morse
DiMartino - Moynihan - Capplis
Gosciak - Callahan - Peck
Kramer - Connolly - Dunn
Tow - Dion
Leblanc - McGrath
Rossi - Patch
Pouliot-Porter
Reading lines
Granara - Pennucci - Fahey
Giardina - Boyle - Fichara
Donnelly - Walsh - Wright
Filosa - Wilson - MacCurtain
Thomson - Miele
Michel - Johnson
Owens - McFarland
Hanifan
